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This article was in Wednesday’s (December 7th, 2016) Herald and News
Written By: Holly Owens
Oregon Tech is part of a multi-campus program awarded a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, expected to be worth up to $15.6 million, according to a news release. The grant is administered by Portland State’s Transportation Research and Education Center, TREC, and is for transportation research, education and outreach.
The grant allows TREC to expand the National Institute for Transportation and Communities program (NITC). The NITC program, one of five in the nation, is a Portland State-led partnership with the University of Oregon, Oregon Tech, University of Utah, and new program partners, University of Arizona and University of Texas Arlington. NITC pursues safe, healthy and sustainable transportation choices through research, education and technology transfer.
“This grant upholds Oregon Tech’s role in shaping transportation decision-making in the region and beyond,” said Hallie Neupert, Oregon Tech interim dean of the College of Engineering, Technology and Management. “The University Transportation Centers program has funded important work at Oregon Tech in areas such as rural highway safety, hybrid vehicles, transportation engineering education and infrastructure evaluation.”
NITC’s impact on Oregon Tech has been and now will continue to be significant, said Oregon Tech’s representative on NITC’s executive committee, professor of civil engineering Roger Lindgren. Oregon Tech faculty are eligible to be principal investigators on transportation education and research grants. In addition, NITC’s five-year funding of campus grants for administration, student activity support, and scholarships are expected to total over half a million dollars. Oregon Tech programs benefiting from NITC grants include civil, computer systems, electrical, mechanical, manufacturing and renewable energy engineering.
NITC focus and programs
The NITC program will focus on four research areas: increasing access to opportunities; improving multi-modal planning and shared use of infrastructure; advancing innovation and smart cities; and developing data, models and tools. Among the 11 projects funded in the first year of the grant are:
- A smart platform for connected vehicle infrastructure and signal control;
- A multidisciplinary look at how the concept of walkability has left out disadvantaged neighborhoods and how to address those gaps;
- Two innovative efforts to help transit connect people with jobs and opportunities;
- An examination of the economic and business effects of converting infrastructure for non-motorized transportation;
- A study to inform proactive traffic management during major disruptive events.
To read this article and others on the Herald and News website, please refer to the link below:
Oregon Tech Taking Part in $15.6 Million Federal Research Grant (H&N)
